All FishesAuchenoglanididaeAuchenoglanidinaeAuchenoglanis  |  | 

Hop to next section All Fishes Data Sheet
Scientific Name Auchenoglanis senegali  Retzer, 2010
Common Name Senegal Giraffe Cat
Type Locality Saint-Louis, Forom River, Camp Djoudj, 16°22'N, 16°16'W, Senegal.
Etymology Auchenoglanis: From the Greek, auchenos, meaning neck and glanis, meaning catfish; in reference to the long cranial shield. Named for the country of origin where the type locality is located.
Hop to next section Species Information
Size 203mm or 8" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification The genus is diagnosed on the basis of a unique combination of characters: a deep and broad skull, narrow mouth, reduced pramaxillary tooth patches, anterior nostrils on the upper lip, and three large nuchal plates, the first which is in close proximity to the rear of the supraoccipital- a bone on the dorsal side of the great foramen(opening) of the skull.

The adult body is white to light brown on the sides of the body, the ventral portion is white. Occasionally the upper one half of the body is slightly darker than the lower half. Large specimens have three horizontal series of dark spots on the body and intense dark spots on the fins although spots may be less intense and more diffuse on some specimens and wider spaced than in A. biscutatus. The barbels are light grey or brown although the mandibular barbels may be less dark than the maxillary barbels. the sides and top of the head are brown and without spots. The lower side of the head is white including the lower lip. The anterior edge of the adipose fin rises steeply and reaches its maximum height at a point approximately one half the length of the adipose fin.
General Remarks There is a good chance the size potential of the different species of Auchenoglanis may be much bigger than what is shown on the data pages. Some of the current data comes from studies which do not always use fully grown adult fish, sizes will be adjusted as proof of larger adult sizes are revealed. Most species will be larger, A. senegali being the only one proven to stay smaller so far.
Hop to next section Habitat Information
Distribution Known only from the Senegal and Gambia river basins of West Africa.
African Waters, Sénégal (click on these areas to find other species found there)
African Waters, Gambia (click on these areas to find other species found there)

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IUCN Red List Category Not Evaluated
Hop to next section Husbandry Information
Breeding Reports There is no breeding report.
Hop to next section Further Information
Reference Retzer, ME, 2010. Taxonomy of Auchenoglanis Günther 1865 (Siluriformes: Auchenoglanididae). Zootaxa 2655: 25–51.
Registered Keepers There is no registered keeper.
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Last Update 2015 May 05 12:55 (species record created: 2001 May 04 00:00)